Retention device of barcode printer

ABSTRACT

A roller retention device is provided for a barcode printer and includes a base and at least one peeling board, wherein the base is mounted to an enclosure of the barcode printer. The base has a front portion forming at least one first channel for accommodating a rear portion of a label sheet hold-down roller of the barcode printer. The first channel has a peripheral portion forming at least one connection segment. The peeling board has a rear portion forming a second channel which matches with the first channel in order to accommodate a front portion of the label sheet hold-down roller. The second channel has a peripheral portion forming a coupling segment which corresponds to and is fixed to the connection segment of the base, allowing the label sheet hold-down roller of the barcode printer to be retained and accommodated between the first channel of the base and the second channel of the peeling board. The peeling board features the function of peeling the barcode label stickers off a release paper. Thus, a retention device that features both retention of the roller of a barcode printer and peeling of the barcode label stickers is provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a roller retention device for printers,and in particular to a roller retention device that is applicable to abarcode printer and features both retention of a barcode label sheethold-down roller and peeling barcode label stickers off a release paper.

2. The Related Arts

In the process of barcode printing for conventional barcode printers, aprocess that a roller holds down the label sheet and peeling andout-feeding of the label stickers is necessary. The conventional barcodeprinters additionally include bearing means or a retention for retainingthe roller inside the barcode printer. Further, a peeling device isadditionally required for peeling barcode label stickers off a releasepaper. These make the components of a conventional barcode printercomplicated and inconvenient to manufacture. Further, the rollerretention device and the barcode label sheet peeling device of theconventional barcode printer are implemented separately, which consume alarge amount of space inside the printer enclosure, making it hard toarrange the volume of the barcode printer and design the enclosure andalso increasing the number of parts and raising the costs ofmaterials/parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, in view of the above discussed problems, the present invention isaimed to provide a roller retention device for a barcode printer toovercome the above discussed drawbacks and problems of the label sheethold-down roller and the label sticker peeling structure of theconventional barcode printer.

To achieve the above goal, in accordance with the present invention, aroller retention device is provided for a barcode printer and comprisesa base and at least one peeling board, wherein the base is mounted to anenclosure of the barcode printer. The base has a front portion formingat least one first channel for accommodating a rear portion of a labelsheet hold-down roller of the barcode printer. The first channel has aperipheral portion forming at least one connection segment. The peelingboard has a rear portion forming a second channel which matches with thefirst channel in order to accommodate a front portion of the label sheethold-down roller. The second channel has a peripheral portion forming acoupling segment which corresponds to and is fixed to the connectionsegment of the base, allowing the label sheet hold-down roller of thebarcode printer to be retained and accommodated between the firstchannel of the base and the second channel of the peeling board. Thepeeling board features the function of peeling the barcode labelstickers off a release paper. Thus, a retention device that featuresboth retention of the roller of a barcode printer and peeling of thebarcode label stickers is provided.

The effectiveness of the roller retention device of the presentinvention is that through a combination of simplified base and peelingboard, the installation and mounting of a label sheet hold-down rollerin a barcode printer can be simply done and a function of peeling labelstickers off a release paper is simultaneously provided to therebysubstantially reduce the manufacturing costs of the barcode printer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art byreading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof,with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roller retention device of a barcodeprinter in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the roller retention device of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a barcode printer incorporating theroller retention device in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the barcode printer incorporating theroller retention device in accordance with the present invention forillustrating the operation thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1-3, a rollerretention device constructed in accordance with the present invention,generally designated at 100, is provided for a barcode printer 200 (seeFIG. 4). The roller retention device 100 comprises a base 10 having aperipheral portion forming at least one clamping segment 11 and clampingsegment 11 forms a threaded hole 111 that receives and engages a bolt112 for threadingly fixing to an inside wall of an enclosure cover 210of the barcode printer 200 (as shown in FIG. 4). The base 10 has a frontportion in which at least one first channel 12 is defined. The firstchannel 12 functions to accommodate a rear portion of a label sheethold-down roller 220 of the barcode printer 200. A front face of thefirst channel 12 forms at least one connection segment 121, and theconnection segment 121 defines at least one threaded hole 122.

A peeling board 20 has a rear portion forming a second channel 21. Thesecond channel 21 matches the first channel 12 and accommodates a frontportion of the label sheet hold-down roller 220. The second channel 21has a peripheral portion forming at least one coupling segment 211. Thecoupling segment 211 forms at least one threaded hole 212. The threadedhole 212 of the coupling segment 211 is set in alignment with thethreaded hole 122 of the connection segment 121 of the base 10 and issecured with threading engagement by a bolt 213 so as to fix thecoupling segment 211 and the connection segment 121 together forretaining and accommodating the label sheet hold-down roller 220 in andbetween the first channel 12 of the base 10 and the second channel 21 ofthe peeling board 20.

The coupling structure between the base 10 and the peeling board 20 isnot limited to the structure embodied with the threading engagementbetween the bolt 213 and the threaded holes 122, 212 mentioned above.Any other equivalent structure, such as fitting and buckling, can beequally used and is considered within the scope of the presentinvention.

Also referring to FIG. 4, which shows application and operation of theroller retention device 100 in accordance with the present invention,the first channel 12 of the base 10 and the second channel 21 of thepeeling board 20 provide accommodation and retention of the label sheethold-down roller 220 of the barcode printer 200 so that the label sheethold-down roller 200 can be easily and efficiently detached, replacedand re-installed by simply removing and/or tightening the bolt 213.Further, the peeling board 20 can also provide the functions ofout-feeding and peeling of barcode label stickers 230 of the barcodeprinter 200 so that the present invention features both retention of thelabel sheet hold-down roller and out-feeding and peeling of the barcodelabel stickers 230.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the artthat a variety of modifications and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention which is intended tobe defined by the appended claims.

1. A roller retention device for a barcode printer, comprising: a basehaving a peripheral portion adapted to couple to an inside wall of enenclosure of the barcode printer, the base having a front portionforming at least one first channel for accommodating a rear portion of alabel sheet hold-down roller of the barcode printer, the first channelhaving a front face forming at least one connection segment; and atleast one peeling board for peeling barcode label stickers of thebarcode printer, the peeling board having a rear portion forming asecond channel matching the first channel for accommodating a frontportion of the label sheet hold-down roller, the second channel having aperipheral portion forming at least one coupling segment, the couplingsegment corresponding to and fixed to the connection segment of thebase, allowing the label sheet hold-down roller to be retained andaccommodated between the first channel of the base and the secondchannel of the peeling board.
 2. The roller retention device as claimedin claim 1, wherein the base has a peripheral portion forming a clampingsegment.
 3. The roller retention device as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe clamping segment forms at least one threaded hole.
 4. The rollerretention device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection segmentof the base forms at least one threaded hole.
 5. The roller retentiondevice as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coupling segment of thepeeling board forms at least one threaded hole.